when the sand runs out
by lil prongs chicky
Summary: Must read both Pasts brought presents first!- one shot


Harry separated himself from his friends during breakfast one morning. No one had asked him where he was going; they already knew. The Gryffindor had taken Cameron's death harder then the rest of them for reasons no one knew.

**I spent the morning at an old friend's grave  
Flowers and amazing grace he was a good man  
he spent his whole life spinning his wheels  
Never knowing how the real thing feels  
He never had a chance to take the time to dance  
And I stood there thinking as I said goodbye  
Today's the first day of the rest of my life**

The marble tombstone shone brightly even in the little sunlight that broke through the dreary clouds. It was fitting weather for the one year anniversary of Cameron's death. Harry knelt beside the headstone and ran his hand over its surface.

_Freedom isn't free;_ no truer words had ever been spoken.

"Hey Cameron." Harry said softly. He sat cross legged in the grass facing the headstone. "You must think I'm pretty crazy to be coming out here so long after everything happened." Harry wiped his eyes under his glasses as hot tears swelled up in them. "Everyone else thinks I'm dwelling on this too much. A few people probably even think I should be used to loosing people close to me by now but they don't understand. You want to know something, a secret I guess." The Gryffindor paused, considering his words.

"I think you're the only one who really understood anything I've been through. Ron, Hermione, Ginny; they've all been in the life and death situations I have but that's not what I'm talking about. Those three have their families and real secure homes to go back to. They've got the freedom of being able to separate themselves from this place if they really wanted to. We don't. We're both trapped here in our own ways. You're way may have been more literal then mine but it's still one in the same idea. Dumbledore has controlled both our lives so completely…" Harry trailed off and shook his head.

"But that's done now. I have two more years of Hogwarts and then I'm out of Dumbledore's hold forever. I'll figure out how to deal with Voldemort in my own way and on my own time."

**I'm gonna stop looking back start moving on  
And learn how to face my fears  
Love with all of my heart make my mark  
I wanna leave something here  
Go out on a ledge without any net  
That's what I'm gonna be about  
Yeah I wanna be running when the sand runs out**

Harry sighed heavily.

"I guess in a way I hope you're proud of me I guess. You were always saying we had some sort of power we didn't know about and I think I found mine. My power is over my future. It's a power Dumbledore thought he had and its one I stole away from him. I figure you might like that." Harry sat in silence for a moment before he stood and brushed the grass of his pants.

"Well I just thought I'd let you know all that. I hope you're enjoying your time wherever you might be. Say hi to my parents if you see them by some chance." Harry turned to leave with his hands deep in his pockets.

**Cause people do it every day promise themselves they're gonna change  
I've been there  
But I'm changing from the inside out that was then this is now  
I'm a new man yeah I'm a brand new man  
And when they carve my stone they'll write these words  
Here lies a man who lived life for all it was worth  
**

As Harry walked away he missed the silvery form of a teenager standing beside his own headstone appear. Two more figures appeared on either side of him and the three of them watched as Harry made his way up to the castle.

"See Lily, I told you he was doing fine." Cameron said brightly. Lily smiled and ruffled the boy's hair. James grinned.

"Why he looks just like me."

"He's more like you then you think James, he's even found himself completely smitten with a cute little red headed girl." Cameron winked at the man and his smile broadened.

"Yeah we Potter men have a thing for cute red heads." He said, looking lovingly at his wife. Lily beamed up at him and wrapped her arms around her husband.

"Thank you for letting us come with you Cameron." She said sincerely. Cameron shrugged. He watched as Ginny, Hermione, Ron, and Draco all met Harry at the Entrance Hall doors. Ginny immediately wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's neck and kissed him once on the cheek. Even from this far away Cameron knew his friend was blushing slightly.

"Harry's going to be alright without all of us isn't he?" he asked softly. Lily felt a tear slide down her cheek as she nodded.

"Yeah he'll be just fine."

Slowly the trio dissolved. James and Lily went first. Cameron watched his friends disappear into the castle and quickly wiped a tear from his cheek as he followed behind the Potters.


End file.
